Moravian Fish Bottle, ca. 1810
Watch
GUEST:
I found it in the shed in a box. It had this little note tied to it, which was from this woman who was my husband's great-great-great-grandmother. In the note she's giving it to her grandson. She says she's had it 86 years, I think, at that point, and she gave it to him in 1889. I took it to an antique shop locally one time, and the guy said, "Hey, you know, it's cute, but it's probably only good for family history, so keep it and enjoy it."
APPRAISER:
This actually is a very early piece of American ceramics.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
It's a Moravian Pottery piece, made by the Moravian potters of Old Salem, North Carolina.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And the pottery there in Old Salem was built around 1770. And the Moravians came there and they were making redware pottery not far away in South Carolina. John Bartlam founded the first English-type pottery in the United States. His foreman was William Ellis, and after Bartlam failed, Ellis went to the Moravian potters and taught them how to make pottery in the English manner instead of the German manner and do press molding. Now this is a press-molded little flask in the form of a fish. And he also taught them to make bottles in the form of squirrels, bears, and they are very, very highly collected these days. And this, though, is about the smallest I've ever seen.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
I mean, this is for someone who couldn't take much whiskey. (both laughing)
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
It has a green glaze, which these animals mostly either had green or brown glazes that they made. I would say that this fish dates between 1805 and 1815.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
It's possibly the finest piece of American pottery I've ever seen on the ROADSHOW.
GUEST:
I know you noticed it's got a little crack under the lip. Does that...
APPRAISER:
Well, a piece is missing.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But a piece of this importance, it doesn't make much difference. It can be restored for a couple hundred dollars, something like that. As to a value, get ready.
GUEST:
Oh no.
APPRAISER:
$27,000 to $30,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. (laughing) Oh gee.
APPRAISER:
How does that strike you?
GUEST:
Pretty amazing. (laughs) Wow.
APPRAISER:
It made my day, believe me.
GUEST:
Made my year. (both laughing) Thank you.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
